Brachycome plant named ‘Enduring Blue’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Brachycome  plant named ‘Enduring Blue’, characterized by its compact and mounding plant habit; freely branching growth habit; freely flowering habit; large inflorescences positioned just above the foliage; purple violet-colored ray florets that resist fading; and good postproduction longevity.

Botanical designation: Brachycome angustifolia.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Enduring Blue’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Brachycome, botanically known as Brachycome angustifolia and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Enduring Blue’.

The new Brachycome plant is a product of a controlled breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Cranbourne, Victoria, Australia. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact Brachycome plants with large inflorescences.

The new Brachycome originated from a cross-pollination in November, 2004 in Cranbourne, Victoria, Australia, of Brachycome angustifolia ‘Billabong Mauve Delight’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,899, as the female, or seed, parent with an unnamed selection of Brachycome angustifolia, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Brachycome was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Cranbourne, Victoria, Australia in March, 2005.

Asexual reproduction of the new Brachycome by vegetative cuttings in a controlled environment in Cranbourne, Victoria, Australia since May, 2005 has shown that the unique features of this new Brachycome are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Brachycome have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment and cultural practices such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Enduring Blue’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Enduring Blue’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Brachycome:

-   -   1. Compact and mounding plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching growth habit.     -   3. Freely flowering habit.     -   4. Large inflorescences positioned just above the foliage.     -   5. Purple violet-colored ray florets that resist fading.     -   6. Good postproduction longevity.

Plants of the new Brachycome differ from plants of the female parent, ‘Billabong Mauve Delight’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Brachycome are taller than plants of         ‘Billabong Mauve Delight’.     -   2. Plants of the new Brachycome have thicker stems than plants         of ‘Billabong Mauve Delight’.     -   3. Plants of the new Brachycome have larger inflorescences than         plants of ‘Billabong Mauve Delight’.     -   4. Plants of the new Brachycome and ‘Billabong Mauve Delight’         differ in ray floret color as plants of ‘Billabong Mauve         Delight’ have light purple-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Brachycome differ from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Brachycome are larger than plants of the         male parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Brachycome have thicker stems than plants         of the male parent selection.     -   3. Plants of the new Brachycome have larger inflorescences than         plants of the male parent selection.     -   4. Plants of the new Brachycome and the male parent selection         differ in ray floret color as plants of the male parent         selection have pale purple violet-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Brachycome can also be compared to plants of the Brachycome multifida ‘Metallic Blue’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,692. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Cranbourne, Victoria, Australia, plants of the new Brachycome differed from plants of ‘Metallic Blue’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Brachycome were more compact than plants of         ‘Metallic Blue’.     -   2. Plants of the new Brachycome had thicker stems than plants of         ‘Metallic Blue’.     -   3. Plants of the new Brachycome and ‘Metallic Blue’ differed in         ray floret color as plants of ‘Metallic Blue’ had light         violet-colored ray florets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Brachycome, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Brachycome. The photograph comprises a close-up view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Enduring Blue’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations, measurements and values describe plants grown in 15-cm containers in Cranbourne, Victoria, Australia, under commercial practice during the spring, summer and autumn in a polyethylene-covered greenhouse with day temperatures ranging from 12° C. to 40° C., night temperatures ranging from 6° C. to 28° C. and light levels ranging from 1,000 lux to 9,000 lux. Plants were pinched about four to six weeks after planting. Plants had been growing for four months when the photograph was taken and about five months when the description was taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Brachycome angustifolia ‘Enduring Blue’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Brachycome angustifolia ‘Billabong             Mauve Delight’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,889.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unnamed selection of Brachycome             angustifolia, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 10 to 20 days at             temperatures of 20° C. to 25° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 18 to 30 days at             temperatures of 18° C. to 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About four to             six weeks at temperatures of 20° C. to 35° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About five to             eight weeks at temperatures of 10° C. to 20° C.         -   Root description.—Thin, slightly fleshy; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; moderately dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant form/habit.—Compact and mounded plant habit;             moderately vigorous growth habit. Freely branching habit             with numerous lateral branches developing after pinching.         -   Plant height.—About 25 cm to 30 cm.         -   Plant width (spread).—About 40 cm to 60 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 3 cm to 6.5 cm. Diameter:             About 1.5 mm. Internode length: About 3 mm to 15 mm.             Strength: Moderately strong. Texture: Smooth, glabrous.             Color: Close to 137A to 137B. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple; sessile.         -   Length.—About 9 mm to 54 mm.         -   Width.—About 4 mm to 22 mm.         -   Shape.—Narrowly to broadly wedge-shaped.         -   Apex.—Acute to somewhat obtuse.         -   Base.—Attenuate.         -   Margin.—Three to five-lobed.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 137A.             Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 137C. Fully             expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to 139A; venation,             139A. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to 137C;             venation, close to 137C. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Single composite inflorescence form with ray and             disc florets. Inflorescences borne just above the foliage.             Freely flowering habit with numerous inflorescences             developing per plant during the flowering period.         -   Fragrance.—Very faintly fragrant; sweet.         -   Flowering season.—Plants flower from spring through autumn             in Australia; flowering continuous during this period.             Plants begin flowering about four to eight weeks after             planting.         -   Inflorescence longevity.—Inflorescences last about two to             four weeks on the plant; inflorescences not persistent.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 1 mm to 2 mm. Diameter:             About 2 mm to 3 mm. Shape: Oblate. Color: Close to 137B.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 2.2 cm to 3 cm. Diameter             of disc: About 4 mm to 8 mm.         -   Ray florets.—Quantity/arrangement: About 19 to 24 in about             two whorls. Shape: Lanceolate, narrowly oblong. Apex:             Bluntly acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire. Length:             About 7 mm to 11 mm. Width: About 1.5 mm to 2 mm. Texture,             upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color: When             opening, upper surface: Close to 87B. When opening, lower             surface: Close to 58A. Fully opened, upper surface: Close to             81C to 81D; color becoming closer to 76A with development.             Fully opened, lower surface: Close to 76A.         -   Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle.             Shape: Tubular, elongated. Apex: Five-pointed. Length: About             3 mm. Width: About 1 mm. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color,             immature: Close to 144A Color, mature: Close to 12A.         -   Involucral bracts.—Quantity/arrangement: About 12 to 16             arranged in one to two whorls; bracts imbricate. Length:             About 2 mm to 3 mm. Width: About 1 mm. Shape: Oblong. Apex:             Acute to obtuse. Margin: Entire, fringed. Texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; satiny. Color, upper and             lower surfaces: Close to 138B.         -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 3.8 cm to             7.2 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Strength: Moderately strong.             Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to 138A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Present on disc florets only.             Androecium: Filament length: Less than 1 mm. Filament color:             Close to 155D. Anther length: Less than 1 mm. Anther shape:             Oblong to lanceolate. Pollen amount: Moderate. Gynoecium:             Stigma shape: Bi-lobed. Style length: About 3 mm. Style             color: Close to 155D.         -   Seeds.—Seed set is nil to scarce on plants of the new             Brachycome. Quantity per inflorescence: None to about three.             Length: Less than 1 mm. Diameter: Less than 1 mm. -   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Brachycome have been     observed to be tolerant to Powdery Mildew. Plants of the new     Brachycome have not been observed to be resistant to pests and other     pathogens common to Brachycomes. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Brachycome have been observed     to have good garden performance and tolerate rain, wind and     temperatures ranging from about −3° C. to about 40° C. 

1. A new and distinct Brachycome plant named ‘Enduring Blue’ as illustrated and described. 